Derek Carr's sophomore season will dictate Raiders future

Since Gannon's retirement after the 2004 season (he may have retired afterwards anyway, but getting injured against the Bucs in Week 3 probably sped that decision up), the Raiders have seen the likes of Kerry Collins (okay), Daunte Culpepper (or a shell of him), Andrew Walter (who?), JaMarcus Russell ("The Pariah"), Jason Campbell (who wouldn't have been too bad for a bit), Carson Palmer ("The Stopgap") and Terrelle Pryor ("budget Cam Newton").

No Raiders quarterback since Gannon has lasted more than two years with in Oakland which makes now second-year quarterback Derek Carr's sophomore season that much more interesting.

He burst onto the scene in 2014, shocking everyone individually by snatching the starting job from both Matt Schaub, who was brought in originally to start, and Matt McGloin, who had a decent game or two with Oakland in 2013. Carr started all 16 games for the Raiders in 2014, the first Raiders quarterback to do so since Gannon in 2002, throwing for 3,270 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Carr was also the first rookie in the history of the franchise to start Week 1 and was first among rookies with eight touchdowns under pressure (sixth overall in the NFL), 21 passing touchdowns (tied fifth all-time among rookies), a 2.0 Interception percentage (seventh among all NFL quarterbacks), and led rookies in completions (348) and passing yards (3,270).

His 72.4 red zone touchdown percentage was the best in the league and his 104 third down completions were second best. Carr was sacked or pressured just 10.3 percent of the time (the lowest in the league) and his 76.6 QB rating was second in his rookie class.

However, the Raiders only went 3-13 in 2014 – with the then-rookie Carr under center.

"Carr has been the surprise of his class, producing and performing at a surprising level despite playing with an inferior cast," Bucky Brooks of NFL.com said of Carr.

The record does come with a catch though.

Oakland started the season with an abysmal 0-4 record under Dennis Allen, before he was canned when the Raiders came back from London and Tony Sparano took over with the Raiders showing a sense of fight, let alone a heartbeat against the Chargers in Week 6. Carr had the best game of his rookie campaign against San Diego, throwing for 282 yards with four touchdowns, but threw the game-ending interception on the final drive in Oakland's 31-28 loss.

They didn't win their first game until Week 12, 24-20, in a nationally televised Thursday night matchup against Kansas City - fittingly.

The Raiders scored a total of 253 points in 2014 with Carr at quarterback, their lowest since scoring just 197 in 2009 with JaMarcus Russell.

They scored over 300 points in three of the last four years, but the biggest sign of progress for this team will be if Carr can consistently lead the offense down the field on numerous scoring drives per game.

It'll be interesting to see how much the Raiders really open up the passing game for Carr in 2015.

Last year, he didn't really throw downfield as much as his yards-per-attempted pass was just a mere 5.4 ypa, well below NFL average.

Another report also suggests that Carr may not be the future of the franchise.

In a report by JJ Zachariason on Numberfire.com, Carr's poor Net Expected Points stat, a statistic that measures each play and calculates how many points an average team would be expected to score in that situation, considering down, distance to go and yard line. The average NEP for an NFL quarterback in 2014 was 45.17. Carr's was minus-40.94, the fourth-worst in the NFL.

Zachariason mentioned that NEP scores by rookie quarterbacks can be a good sign of future success and that Carr's NEP ranks among the same busts like Geno Smith, Joey Harrington and Josh Freeman.

It's worth noting that Carson Palmer and Matt Stafford had low NEP's in their rookie years and have had solid careers. He also mentioned that despite the numbers, "Carr can still succeed. He can still be a top-tier quarterback."

"Carr's a special young talent," new Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio mentioned. "He's got a really quick release, good decision-maker, he's shown some of that grit we're looking for, some of that toughness, so he's a guy that we feel like we have an opportunity to build around."

That's going to be the key to the Raiders progressing back to the playoffs in 2015, or at least even a .500 record: building around the young signal-caller.

With around $50-$60 million available in the salary cap, the Raiders are expected to go after several top-tier free agents, most notably receiver Randall Cobb and tight end Julius Thomas, two weapons that could instantly improve the Raiders offense.

The offense could be more explosive than the mere pop they provided in 2014 if they can effective run the no-huddle. With Bill Musgrave now running the offense in Oakland, the Raiders are expected to install the no-huddle, something Musgrave helped install and worked with in his time as the quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia.

"Sometimes, the games were really slow for me," Carr mentioned. "It was almost like I was waiting for it to speed up.

"My last two years at Fresno State were 100 percent no-huddle, and I love it. I'm very comfortable in it. They are building this offense around me, and I'm really excited about it. I lit up when they told me."

These Raiders, under new head coach Jack Del Rio, will only go as far as Derek Carr goes. If Carr can improve on his 2014 performance, there's a good chance the Raiders do better than 3-13 or 4-12 and possibly finish 8-8 or better.

The ultimate realistic goal for this team in 2015 would be a wild card spot at the end of the season. It would show a solid, legitimate step in the right direction, although finishing over .500 would do the same.

Carr's got a few miles on him now and drove decent in 2014. Now, it's time for the real road test.

SANYA, CHINA - FEBRUARY 18: In this handout image provided by the Volvo Ocean Race onboard Team Alvimedica, Seb Marsset drives south as equatorial clouds begin to appear on the horizon in every direction, the first signs of ITCZ convergence and volatility during Leg 4 from Sanya to Auckland on February 18, 2015 in Sanya, China. The Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 is the 12th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain on October 04, 2014, the route, spanning some 39,379 nautical miles, visits 11 ports in eleven countries (Spain, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, China, New Zealand, Brazil, United States, Portugal, France, The Netherlands and Sweden) over nine months. The Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier ocean yacht race for professional racing crews. (Photo by Amory Ross/Team Alvimedica/Volvo Ocean Race via Getty Images)

PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 20: Troy Bayliss of Australia rides the #21 Aruba.it Racing-Ductati Superbike Team Ducati Panigale R during the practice session for the World Superbikes World Championship Australian Round at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on February 20, 2015 in Phillip Island, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

MALMESBURY, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: A skateboarder jumps from a ramp that has been erected inside the 12th century former Benedictine Malmesbury Abbey on February 18, 2015 in Malmesbury, England. For the seventh year running the abbey's interior has been transformed into a skatepark which will welcome youngsters from across the south west for three days to try the variety of ramps, quarter pipes, grinding rails and trick boxes underneath the famous Norman vaulted stone ceiling. . (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

FALUN, SWEDEN - FEBRUARY 22: Irina Avvakumova of Russia competes in the Mixed Team HS100 Normal Hill Ski Jumping during the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships at the Lugnet venue on February 22, 2015 in Falun, Sweden. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 18: Shanne Braspennincx of the Netherlands Cycling Team competes in the Women's Team Sprint qualifying round as her coach yells during day 1 of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships held at National Velodrome on February 18, 2015 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

WARSAW, POLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Jun-Ho Kim of Korea competes in the Men's 500m on day one of the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships at Stegny Ice Rink on February 20, 2015 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield - ISU/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 19: Cam Talbot #33 of the New York Rangers stops a shot in the third period against the Vancouver Canucks on February 19, 2015 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.The Vancouver Canucks defeated the New York Rangers 5-4 in an overtime shootout. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND - FEBRUARY 22: An athlete competes in the Challenge Wanaka on February 22, 2015 in Wanaka, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 20: Paul Millsap #4 defends as Kyle Korver #26 of the Atlanta Hawks blocks a shot by Jonas Valanciunas #17 of the Toronto Raptors at Philips Arena on February 20, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

WARSAW, POLAND - FEBRUARY 21: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was processed using digital filters) Team China compete in the Women's Team Sprint during day two of the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships at Stegny Ice Rink on February 21, 2015 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield - ISU/Getty Images)